Load supporting pallet



Oct. 12, 1954 R. E. WAT-rs 2,691,499

LOAD SUPPORTING PLLET Filed April s, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR Aussel/ E. Wars ATTORNEYS Oct. l2, 1954 R. E.'wAr1-s 2,691,499

LOAD SUPPORTING PALLET Filed April 3, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :awwwl` mf? 20 Russa/Wens ATTDR N EYS Patented Oct. 12, 1954 LDAD SUPPORTING PALLET Russell E. Watts, Dallas, Tex., assigner to Fleming & Sons, Inc., Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application April 3, 1950, Serial No. 153,657

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in load supporting pallets.

The invention is particularly concerned with pallets of inexpensive manufacture adapted for use with lift trucks having lifting forks or prongs.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved pallet of the type described which is sufficiently cheap and economical to manufacture and use as to permit its utilization in only one shipping operation with subsequent destruction, whereby the expense of returning the pallet to the point of shipping is avoided.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved pallet of the character described which is formed of cardboard or chipboard or other similar material, and which includes a novel supporting element structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved pallet of the character described having a novel arrangement for the bottom or base plate of said pallet.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein examples of the invention are shown, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a View in perspective, partially broken away, illustrating the structure of a pallet constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a schematic View in side elevation illustrating the mode of use of the pallet,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in perspective of a modified form of one of the supporting elements,

Fig. 4 is a, horizontal, cross-sectional view of a further modification of the supporting element,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modified form of the pallet employing a further modification of the supporting elements,

Fig. 6 is a vertical, cross-sectiona1 view taken upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, horizontal, cross-sectional view of one of the supporting elements shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the numeral I designates, in general, a pallet structure having an upper plate II and a lower plate I2. The plates II and I2 are arranged in spaced, parallel relationship, and preferably are formed of heavy cardboard, chipboard, pasted or laminated chipboard. or the like. A plurality of supporting elements I3 are disposed between the plates II and I2, and preferably are arranged symmetrically in longitudinal and transverse rows in spaced relationship. With this arrangement, the forks I4 of a conventional lift truck I may be inserted into the spaces between adjacent rows or columns of the supporting elements I3, as illustrated in Fig. 2, wherebythe pallet may be lifted upon said forks. Obviously, since the supporting elements I3 are spaced from one another both transversely and longitudinally, the forks of a lift truck may be introduced from either end of the pallet IU, or from either side thereof. Normally, the pallets are made in a substantially rectangular shape, but may be square, considerably elongated, or may have any other suitable or desirable shape or conguration. i

The supporting elements I 3 also are formed from heavy cardboard, or a similar materia1 in order that the cost of the pallet may be kept as low as possible and to permit the discarding of the pallet after one use in a shipping operation. The form of the supporting element illustrated in Fig. l includes a hollow, rectangular or square box I6 havingits upper and lower ends open and disposed adjacent the facing surfaces of the plates II and I2. An open-ended tube or cylinder I'I of arcuate cross-section is disposed within the box I6 and has its upper and lower ends serrated to form a plurality of laterally-directed tabs or fingers I8. These tabs are glued, cemented, or otherwise affixed ,to the juxtaposed surfaces of the plates II and I2 and provide -a very secure and substantial bond between said plates and the supporting elements. Within the cylinder I'I is provided a supporting and strengthening web I9 formed of two semi-cylindrical sections having their outer surfaces meeting tangentially and jointed by a staple 2li, as shownin Fig. 3. If desired, the web I9 may be secured to the inner surface of the cylinder II by gluing or cementing, or the web may be left freely slidable within the cylinder since it is conned therein by the plates Il and I2. Also, the box I6 may be similarly secured to the outer surface of the cylinder, or may have its upper and lower edges secured to the tabs I8, or both securing procedures may be employed. None of the additional securing is essential to the invention although it has been found preferable to secure the box I6 to the tabs I8 at several points.

The structure which has been described, which includes a cylinder embraced by the rectangular box I6 is unique in its structural characteristics in that it provides a structure which is highly resistant to longitudinal loads or columnar stresses. Thus, even though the entire supporting element I3 is formed of cardboard or some similar material, it is of suiiicient strength to support average loads and permits the ruse of the pallet I0 with all but the heaviest materials. The pallet has performed exceedingly well in actual use with large stacks of paper and cardboard and has withstood both the loads applied and the normal abuse received in shipping operations. Neverthelessfthe cost of manufacture and use of the pallet is suiciently low to permit its being discarded after only one use in transportation.

A modified form of the invention is shown in 3 Fig. 3 of the drawings in which the tabs I8 are omitted from the cylinder I'I, and the box I6 is providedawith laterally-:directed flangesI or tabs 2I whichare` secured to f the facing surfaces of the plates II and I2. It has further been found that the web I9 may be omitted in certain instances without reducing the strengthof the vpallet below that necessary to handle certain types of merchandise. This further ;modication uof the supporting element is 'illustrated-in Fig-A wherein it is also brought out that the cylinder I'I may be formed with a lapped;-,construction,..as Well as with the tube construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In the form of the cylinder shownin Fig. 4, a sheet of cardboard is merely bent into agk-:cyl-inder, and the lapping endsare stapled-together,.asshown,at 22, to form a completed cylinder. There is noappreciable loss .ofstrength in-`4 this structure, and the cost of manufacture of the, pallet reduced somewhat thereby.

The lapped construction ofi-the inner cylinder I'I.may beapplied tothe form` of the invention shownin-Fig. ll with thesimultaneous .use of the web I9, as illustrated in Fig. 7, or with the omission'ofrthe internal web, as shown in Fig. 5.

.-.Amodii-lcation of4 the base platev I2 isalso permissible, andxin somecasesdesirable for Lease .in handling thepallet whena load is secured thereto. .Inithis modication, the base plate I2 is replacedby a plurality of: somewhat smalller base plates .23,each extending transverselyof the pal- IetandJbeing secured to the lower ends of one transverse row of the supporting elements I3, as shown in Fig.5. With this structure, economy is effected both in thequantity `of material required for: the base plate and in the smaller area of the pieceszof board required-*to form the lower portion ofathe pallet. `It is possible to employ somewhat ,smaller .pieces Vofr board for the base structure and `hence to make use of portions of board which otherwise would be scrap since they would not be of suflicient'size to for-m one of the fbase plates- I2.

lThe: invention -which has vbeen describedy herein, yand the modification thereof, employ the most finexpensiveIforms of paper orberl board and-achieve 1a structure of adequate strength for normal commercial use -without requiring intricate shapes or expensive-and complex formsof paper or iiberboard. It is further to benoted that each-element of the pallet structure maybe pressed or'folded into a flat form whereby the various-elements of the pal-let may be shipped in aknocked-down or disassembled f-orm `and will occupy aminimum of space. Thus, the rawmaterials orelements of the pallet may be shipped from one point to another at lowcost, and may be assembled for use at the point of destination. The assembly ofthe pallets is simple andmay be carried out by unskilled labor through-simple staplingand gluing or -cementing operations, and meanwhile. quantities `of the knocked-down pallets` may be'stored in a minimum of space. VvThe structure of the pallet, therefore, not only permits-*the employment of low-cost materials, but permits the storage and shipping of 'quantities ofthe pallets in a minimum of `space Aandwith a minimum of expense.

lThe foregoingdescription of the inventionis explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials,as well .as in the details of the illustrated construction may be mada-within. the scope of the .appended claims, withoutgdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

zinder having its axis extending perpendicularly to.the.plates,and an open-ended outer box embracing the annular periphery of the cylinder .wherebylall side walls of the box and the cylin- 'der =.wall.cooperate to support the upper plate, the supportingielements having laterally directed `Vtabs vhingedly ,connected thereto and secured to the upper and lower plates.

y2. A pallet having upper and lower plates with facing sides and supporting elements secured between theplates, said supporting elements including, an inner cylinder member, andan outer rectangular box member embracing said cylinder member, one ,oise-id members having laterallydirected tabssecured to the facing sides of the plates.

L3.A Apallet having upper and lower plates and supporting elements secured between the plates, said-supportingelements including, an inner cylinderlmembenand an outer box member embracing said cylinder member, one of said members having outwardly and laterally directed tabs secured to the plates, said tabs extendingfrom all.` sides of the latter member.

4.v A pallet having upper and lower plates and supporting elements secured between the plates, said supporting elements including, an inner cylinder, land an open-ended outer box embracing saidcylinder, said cylinder having laterally directedtabs secured to the plates, said tabs extending from all sides of the cylinder and .projectingbetween theends of the box and the plates.

5. A pallet having upper and lower plates and supporting elements secured between the plates, said supporting elements including, an inner cylinder, and an outer box` embracing said cylinder, said .boxlhaving laterally directed tabs secured to the plates, said tabs extending from all sides ofthe box.

- 6. A pallet' having upper and lower plates and supporting elements secured between the plates, said supporting elements including, an inner cylinder having-itsaxis extending perpendicularly to the plates, an open-ended outerI box embracingtheannularperiphery of the cylinder whereby allside'walls of the box and the cylinder wall cooperate to `support the upper plate, and a web embraced by said cylinder.

v"7. A pallet as set forth in claim 6, wherein the web includesv a pair of semicylindrical members having their cuter faces engaging tangentially.

8. A pallet as set forth in claim 6, wherein lthe cylinder, thev box and the web are substantially co-extensive.

9. A pallet as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cylinder is formed of arectangular sheet formed into cylindrical shape withv its ends overlapping andsecured together.

' ...References cited in ,the nie of this patent tunrrnns'rinns. PATENTSy Number Name .Date

`l`,808',530 Cooley June;2193l `1,9l"1',168 Potter ?Feb. 13,1934 .2,444,184 Cahners June ,29, 1948 '2,503,240 Cahners Apr. 111950 2,507,588 Brandon etal. May 16, 1950 A2,544,657 ,Cushman Mar. 13, 19,51 

